Sparkasse 01 - Frankfurt Main 2022

The buildingscape of Frankfurt's central business district is constantly evolving. Limited by the Skyscraper Master Plan, there are only a handful of locations suitable for high-rises, most of which are in the central business district. One would normally expect these rare sites to be highly sought after, with no vacant or unoccupied land available. Yet, there is one: the "Sparkasse" at Neue Mainzer Straße 57-59. This urban relict once served as the headquarters of the Frankfurter Sparkasse 1822, a regional savings bank. The buildings were abandoned 20 years ago and have been sealed off from the public with high fences and locked doors ever since.

The entire area contains three abandoned buildings: one is a neoclassical house built during Germany's founding period, another is a 16-story office tower from the 1960s, and the third is an office building with a curved facade, also from the 1960s.